The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical connectors. The present invention relates specifically to an electrical connector and modules for high-speed connectivity. High-speed data transmission is required for accurately and quickly transmitting the large amount of data common in today's telecommunications applications. One common medium for high-speed situations is fiber optics. Fiber optic cables transmit signal in the form of light through reinforced glass cables. Fiber optic transmission has several advantages over traditional wire cables. Specifically, fiber optic cables are more redundant against interferences and produce very minimal signal degradation over long cable runs. However, fiber optic cables are expensive and are less physically robust than traditional wire cables because they are made of glass. This limits the flexibility of fiber optic cables and often precludes their use in applications requiring high levels of redundancy, flexibility, and reliability.
In such applications, wire cables specially engineered to reduce noise and signal degradation are used. These cables group together individual wires into sets of twisted pairs. The twisted pair wire configuration allows each individual wire to offset the noise form the counterpart wire it is twisted with. This solution is greatly effective at increasing the speed capabilities of standard metal wires. However, the termination and connector points of the wires are generally inefficient resulting in large increases in noise and signal degradation relative to those of the wires themselves. Connector points allow for proper termination of the wires at devices and for the branching out of sets of wires for flexibility in layout arrangements. Current solutions to this problem suffer from two identifiable problems. First, the existing solutions provide a modest improvement in efficiency but are not capable of fully maximizing the transfer efficiency of the wires themselves. Second, the existing solutions have maxed out the amount of wires that can be placed in a single standard connector. What is needed is a connector system that imports less noise, has less signal degradation, and has increased wire density when placed in a single standard connector.
Some of the current connector systems also have limitations unrelated to the electrical performance characteristics. Specifically, the robust high-speed connectors are often deployed in military applications where a standard D38999 type or similar circular connector is required. These connectors are designed so that the electrical connectors are supported within a housing which is surrounded by a ring having either male or female threads. The ring with the female threads is screwed into a connector having male threads and the electrical connectors are likewise joined. However, in particular stress situations the threaded connector can become loosened and eventual will decouple causing the electrical connectors to decouple and thus may cause failure to a vital system. What is needed is a connector that will not loosen with stress but will still conform to the standards for connectors that are often used in relation to high-speed electrical data transfer systems.
Some of the current connector systems use a backshell to protect and direct cables into and out of the connectors. Often these backshells have an adjustable angle so that the same connector can be used regardless of the direction called for in the plan layout. However, the adjustable element is often secured using screws, bolts, or similar mechanisms that require use of a tool to change the angle. This feature prevents easy adjustment of the angle during installation to account for unforeseen issues. It also may limit dynamic access to the cables during repair operations. What is need is an adjustable angle backshell having a mechanism to adjust the angle without use of a tool that also remains securely locked when required.